


Reach Out, And Hold Back

by Nevanna



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 02:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3592983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevanna/pseuds/Nevanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jean loses control of her powers, Rogue discovers that the two of them have more in common than she believed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reach Out, And Hold Back

**Author's Note:**

> This fills the "That Moment (incident/chapter/episode) in detail" square for Ladies' Bingo 2014-2015. The episode in question is 2.02, "Power Surge."

During Rogue’s first few days in Bayville, Mystique warned her about each of Xavier’s students in turn. “Jean Grey is his favorite,” she said. “She knows it, too. Except for her powers, she’s not very different from the perfect princesses that you hated so much at your old school.”

“I didn’t _hate_ them,” Rogue protested. “I just didn’t, y’know, _worship_ them.”

“Which amounts to the same thing, for people like that,” Mystique replied. The sneer in her voice would cling to Rogue’s consciousness like mold even after she moved to the Institute, no matter how determined she was to banish it. “She’ll crack sooner or later, and I promise that one of us will be there when it happens.”

She wasn’t wrong.

\--

To look at Jean, surrounded by her adoring public at Duncan Matthews’ party, it was impossible to tell that she’d been on the verge of a meltdown at the awards ceremony earlier that day. She had pulled herself together and dazzled the crowd, just like she always did.

Risty Wilde pressed a drink into Rogue’s hand. “Will you at least try to have fun? That’s what parties are all about, unless I’m mistaken.”

“You sure about that?” Rogue asked. “And I thought parties were all about standing around awkwardly ‘cause I barely know anyone.” Never mind that the last time she had tried to mingle, she’d accidentally put a classmate in a coma by touching him.

“It’s hard to get to know people if you don’t _talk_ to them,” Risty remarked. “Besides, you know me, and Jean, and... was Scott invited, or wasn’t he?”

“Even if he was, we all know who he’d really be here to see,” Rogue muttered. Sure enough, when Scott walked into the room, he didn’t greet her or seem to notice her, and when she and Risty slipped out the door, neither he nor Jean said goodbye.

\--

“How much trouble did you get into after I left?” Risty asked the next day in the cafeteria.

“Just a lecture about following the rules,” Rogue told her. “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.” This was true enough, but last night was the first time that one of those lectures had come about because she’d invited a friend from school back to the Institute. “I promise, it’s nothing personal.”

“Are you happy there?” Risty wanted to know. “At Xavier’s, I mean.”

“Why do you ask?” Rogue had been prepared for any number of questions, but that wasn’t one of them. 

“Sorry if I was being nosy…”

“No, it’s okay,” Rogue said hastily. She meant it, but was relieved when her friend didn’t demand an answer to the question.

Instead, Risty said, “Rules or no rules, the lot of you seem to look out for each other, and that seems like something to be happy about.” She finished her yogurt. “And I’ll step off my soapbox for now.”

“Believe me, when it comes to soapboxes, I’ve heard worse.” At least Rogue could be honest about that.

\--

When Jean’s powers escalated beyond her control, lifting her into the air and filling her head with voices, Rogue found herself suspended from the ceiling in the Institute’s medical bay, leaning into the cyclone of debris that swirled around her teammate. 

With only a split second to brush her fingers across Jean’s face, Rogue barely had time to brace herself before her own mind was flooded with… 

_…playing runaway princesses with Sara in Blithewood Garden, trying to catch up with her as she races ahead, because she’s my big sister and I go where she goes…_

_…studying for the past week and I get another headache in the middle of the test, try to push through it but I end up on the floor and wake up in the nurse’s office, and no more sports until they figure out what’s wrong…_

_…nobody can understand why all my dresser drawers are on the floor, the books have fallen from my shelf, and it must have happened while I was asleep but how…_

_…too much noise in my head, Mom and Dad are trying to hug and comfort me but they’re just making things worse…_

_…I think Sara is afraid of me, I can hear her arguing with Mom and Dad, I wish they’d stop… no, I didn’t mean it that way…_

_…Professor Xavier’s house is so beautiful, I hope he can really help me, I hope I don’t frighten the other kids away…_

_…he always told me that I was_ special _, and not a freak, maybe I can make them see that, too._

The images whirled through Rogue’s brain one after the other: the goal that Jean had scored in her first soccer game; the kitchen knives that had quivered when she was angry; Scott letting her project an image of the crocuses in bloom so he could see the purple and white and yellow blossoms. She had tried to reach out to Kitty, and said all the wrong things; she’d tried again with another young mutant with much more dangerous powers, who chose to push others way instead of trying, as Jean had, to be liked and accepted by _everybody_.

Amid the rush of voices and images and smells and sensations, Rogue barely noticed when something above her snapped and she fell to the ground, or that the words spilling from her mouth were not her own.

The swirling debris slowed and settled. Jean opened her eyes, and the other X-Men rushed to her side.

\--

“I can’t thank you enough for what you did,” Jean said the next morning, when Rogue passed by her in the hall. “It was really brave.”

“It’s no big deal. I know what it’s like to have more power than you can control.” Even if she would never be the school’s MVP, or an honor student, or the professor’s favorite, and even if nobody would ever show her the devotion that Scott showed Jean, Rogue understood that much. She'd probably _never_ be able to control her own powers, either, but there were days when she could live with that. She recalled Risty’s words from the day before. “We gotta look after each other, right?” 

“I’m glad that you feel that way.”

“Are we supposed to hug now?” Rogue asked, pouring what she hoped was the right amount of scorn into the question.

“I won’t insist on it,” Jean said with a smile. “But I’m still grateful.” Almost despite herself, Rogue smiled back.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The title of this episode is from the song "The Tower" by VIenna Teng.
> 
> 2\. [Blithewood Garden](http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/Details.aspx?sid=3142f4bf-76bd-4a57-964d-fce7c948310f) is a real place located on the campus of Bard College, where Jean's father teaches in the comics (and in supplemental canon for _Evolution_ ).
> 
> 3\. Many thanks, yet again, to KatiaSwift for taking the time to look over this story and make sure everything worked.


End file.
